Strategists & Statesmen · Modern
Otto von Bismarck: Realpolitik
How the Prussian minister-president unified Germany through three short wars, then kept the peace with a web of alliances; 'blood and iron', the welfare state, the Kulturkampf, and why the system failed after he left.
Step 1 of 5 · Overview30 min read ·
Key idea
Prereqs: The French Revolution & Napoleon; 19th-century Europe. Next: World War I; Kissinger. Sources: Jonathan Steinberg, *Bismarck: A Life* (2011); Henry Kissinger, *Diplomacy* (1994); History Matters.Next: 1. Unification by three wars